Homemade Cheese Crackers

Tasty, savory, all-natural Homemade Cheese Crackers are not only kid approved, but you won’t believe how easy they are to make!

Homemade Cheese Crackers are one of those recipes that I’ve been meaning to try out ever since I had kids…but I just never seemed to get around to it. Well, that finally changed last week, my friends! And the funny part is, they were so easy to make, I don’t know why I waited so long to give them a go.

These little cuties are as simple as pulsing together a few ingredients in the food processor — grated cheddar (extra-sharp, please!), butter, flour, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper (black & cayenne)…and that’s it! Not an un-pronouncable ingredient in sight (well, unless you’re like me and have difficulty pronouncing Worcestershire. Woos-ti-shire. Wer-chest-er-shi-er…).

After your dough comes together, simply form it into a disk and pop it in the refrigerator to firm up a bit. Then roll it out and use a pizza cutter (or, if you want fancy edges, a pastry wheel) to cut it into little squares. Pop ’em on a pan, use a wooden skewer to poke a little hole in each one (we’re trying to be authentic here, right?), and bake until the edges just start to darken. It sounds like a lot of steps but the hands-on time is actually surprisingly short.

Now, I must disclose that the Homemade Cheese Crackers pictured in these photos are from the first batch I made. In making these crackers a few more times since, I’ve come to discover that my family prefers them rolled out a little thinner (about 1/8″) and baked a little longer for crispier, more cracker-like crackers. The crackers pictured here were thicker (about 1/4″) and softer. Still good, but you’ll need to decide which type of texture you’re going for.

I also feel the need to share that the yield of this recipe is a result of the size I cut my crackers, and the size I cut my crackers is a result of the ruler I used as a guide for my pizza cutter. I am terrible at cutting straight lines in food, y’all. When there’s a cake to be cut, I always try to pawn off the task on someone else. My pie slices are never even. My brownies range from tiny to jumbo (and not on purpose).

Anyhoo, I figured that a bunch of crooked crackers probably wouldn’t make for an aesthetically pleasing blog post…so I washed a plastic ruler with some dish soap, thoroughly dried it, and laid it vertically along the edge of my rectangle of dough. Then I took my pizza cutter and traced along each side of it, rendering my first “strip” of crackers 1 1/4″ wide. I moved the ruler across the dough and continued tracing/cutting vertical strips. Then I turned the ruler perpendicular and worked my way down the dough, cutting horizontal strips. At the end, I had perfectly square, equally sized little crackers…which I never would have been able to accomplish in a million years, sans ruler. I took the jagged scraps of dough from the edges, re-rolled, and used my ruler to cut more squares. Repeat, repeat, done!

I hope it goes without saying that you absolutely do not have to use a ruler in order to ensure that your crackers are all square and symmetrical. Live on the edge and eyeball those babies! Using a ruler is just something that my fellow firstborn, type-A, perfectionist, Virgos might understand… 😉

You should be able to fit all of your crackers on one sheet pan, since they slightly puff up but don’t spread out. But don’t be surprised when these Homemade Cheese Crackers come out of the oven a lighter shade than the neon orange Cheez-Its we’re all accustomed to.

Cheese + butter + flour ≠ neon. (And people think an English major can’t be good at math…)

And speaking of cheese, I highly recommend using extra-sharp cheddar in these crackers for the best flavor (I used Tillamook), as they can turn out somewhat bland if you use a milder cheese.

Have I mentioned that, in addition to loving these crackers for a snack, your favorite kiddo(s) would love to help you make them?! This recipe would be a fun little project to tackle with your resident toddler/preschooler/insert-age-here-year-old. Said little helper can measure out ingredients, pulse the food processor (with supervision, of course), cut straight lines along the ruler or use mini cookie cutters to cut out shaped crackers (goldfish, anyone?), and best of all, taste-test!

All of my offspring appreciate a good snack, and sometimes it’s nice to trade out the usual fruit or muffins or granolabars for something a little different…and non-sugary, to boot. So if you’ve ever considered making your own Homemade Cheese Crackers, don’t delay! Now’s your time! They’re easy, they’re yummy, and there’s something so satisfying about knowing that they’re chock full of real ingredients. In fact, they’re guaranteed to elicit cheesy grins.

Yield: approximately 6 to 7 dozen (1-inch) crackers (may vary depending on how thin you roll them and what size you cut them)

Tasty, savory, all-natural Homemade Cheese Crackers are not only kid approved, but you won't believe how easy they are to make!

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated (about 1 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Place the butter, grated cheddar, salt, white pepper, and cayenne in the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse until butter breaks up into small pieces and the mixtures resembles cottage cheese. Add the flour to the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles damp breadcrumbs. Add the Worcestershire and pulse a couple more times. The dough will be moist but it should come together in your hands.

Turn the dough out onto the counter or a silicone mat. Knead it a couple of times to form a ball. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

Place the oven rack in the center position of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and very lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough into a rectangular shape measuring 1/8-inch thick (if the dough seems sticky, you may use a bit of flour on your rolling pin, but it probably won't be necessary). Using a pizza cutter, pastry wheel, or sharp knife, cut the dough vertically into approximately 1-inch wide strips, then cut across the strips horizontally to make 1-inch squares (you may use a clean ruler as a guide, if you wish). Form a ball with any leftover scraps of dough, roll out again, and repeat until all crackers are cut out.

Transfer crackers to baking sheet. The crackers shouldn't spread, so it's not necessary to space them out much. Use a wooden skewer to poke a small hole in the center of each cracker. Bake for 15 minutes or until crackers are just starting to darken around the edges. Transfer crackers to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

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Comments

Hi Samantha, I am making these asap! We have been replacing pre-packaged snack with home-made. I don’t remember when was the last time I bought a box of Cheeze-its. I love how easy these are to make. I always have some extra sharp Tillamook. And yes– the ruler! I am terrible at cutting a straight piece of anything as well. Why not add a ruler to the baking drawer, haha. I’ll go dig up one of the kids’ rulers.

Ha, Mila…so glad I’m not the only one incapable of cutting straight lines! I think a ruler sounds like the perfect addition to the baking drawer…I believe you’re onto something! 😉 And yes, my daughter is between 2 1/4 and 2 1/2. Time is flying a tad too fast for my liking these days… Hope your family enjoys these crackers if you have a chance to try them! 🙂

She’s always more than happy to be my little taste tester, Amy. 😉 And I’m with you…not sure why it took me so long to make my own cheese crackers. I’ve always thought about doing it but never realized how easy it would be! Thanks so much for stopping by and happy Friday!

Have you tried any substitutes with this recipe? We are finding out that my family is gluten sensitive and are greatly reducing our consumption. Some, once in awhile, is OK. I wonder if rice or quinoa flour would work? Any thoughts?

Hi Maureen! I only recently made these cheese crackers for the first time, so I haven’t done much experimenting with them yet. I also don’t have any experience with rice flour or quinoa flour, so I’m not the best person to give advice on how to substitute them. However, I definitely think it’s worth giving these a shot using gluten-free flour…perhaps only making a fraction of the recipe until you achieve success? I recently came across this Beginners Guide to Gluten-Free Flours, which might have some useful info for you. Anyway, I’m sorry that I can’t be of more help, but I hope you’re able to successfully make some substitutes to this recipe so that your family can enjoy them. Good luck! 🙂

Hi Samantha, I saw this on the Best of the Weekend link party. My boys love crackers and I’ve always thought about making some for them, but didnt know how. This looks so easy abd I’ll definitely try it. I, like you, can’t cut food in a straight line and will also use a ruler or anything else with a straight edge. Pinning.

My husband loves Cheese-Its but this is the one thing he is brand loyal for. I really have to try and make these, and see if we can win him over with the home baked goodness. I’m am adding this to my Pinterest board for “totally got to try recipes”

I hope your husband enjoys these, Nikki! I have to tell you that they don’t taste exactly like Cheez-Its…they’re a bit more “natural tasting.” 😉 But he may like them as an alternative to his beloved box of crackers! And if you roll them thin and bake them up crispy, it might help your odds… 🙂 Good luck!

That made me laugh, Mary…so true! I wish that I could be more laid-back, but firstborns are just cut from a different cloth. My firstborn is the child of two firstborns and he doesn’t stand a chance! 😉

You are too sweet, Martha…I’m thrilled to be a part of the group and get to know you better as well! Joining the group also made me realize that I’ve been pinning a lot of your recipes all along, before I even “knew” you…so the feeling is mutual. 🙂 Hope you enjoy these when you try them, and hope you’ve been having a great week!

Oh no, Naomi…I’m sorry to hear that! I just checked the recipe and it’s accurate. Usually the dough forms a ball after a few kneads, but if it doesn’t, you could always add a tiny bit of water (a teaspoon at a time), until it sticks together…just be careful not to add too much. Good luck!

These don’t last more than a few days at our house, Kelly, so I can’t answer your question definitively. 🙂 But I think the texture of the crackers would start to change after a few days in an air-tight container at room temperature. Yes, I think you should be able to freeze them at that point, but again, I haven’t done so myself so I’m not positive if the texture would be affected once they thaw. Good luck and let us know if you decide to give it a try!